2022 NFL DRAFT DEEP DIVE: MIAMI DOLPHINS

By Callum Squires

The NFL Draft is over, and we cannot head into the three-month abyss that is the offseason without looking at what all 262 selections mean for each franchise. Whilst too early to judge just how successful a draft class each team’s was, we can look at how rookies fit within schemes, where they stand on depth charts, and who we can expect to make an impact in 2022. We continue our team by team series with the Miami Dolphins:

Draft Haul

RNDPICKPROSPECTPOSSCHOOL
3102Channing TindallLBGeorgia
4125Erik EzukanmaWRTexas Tech
7224Cameron GoodeEDGECalifornia
7247Skylar ThompsonQBKansas State

Day One

Credit: Mark Brown/Getty Images

For the first time in a little while, the Miami Dolphins could – for the most part – sit back and relax on Night 1 of the NFL Draft. The Tyreek Hill trade stunned the league and afforded the Chiefs a second 1st round selection, whilst giving the Dolphins – and especially Tua Tagovailoa – a truly elite weapon.

Tyreek Hill is one of a kind; His production with Patrick Mahomes over the past 5+ years has been incredible, as Hill has developed from a 5th round draft pick, to the undisputed number 1 gamebreaker in the league. Can he replicate the Kansas City production on South Beach? It’s impossible to know for sure – but after the Dolphins social media account posted Tua underthrowing Hill (admittedly, on a completion) last week, there is scepticisim amongst the masses.

On the flipside for Tua, it’s now or never; adding Hill to his two favourite targets Jaylen Waddle & Mike Gesicki (plus some more pieces we’ll get to later) means that it’s time to show you ARE the guy for the former Alabama Crimson Tide signal caller. No more excuses will be tolerated. The Dolphins WILL have a busy Day 1 of the 2023 draft (they have two 1st round picks), and if this is not the season of “confirmation of elite status” that Tua needs it to be… then Miami may be looking for a new QB 11 months from now.

Free Agency is where the Dolphins have done most of their work this off-season, with the most notable addition being OT Terron Armstead from the Saints. The O-Line has been a perennial issue for the Dolphins, and with new head coach Mike McDaniel’s penchant for an elaborately complex rushing offense, they’ll need the line to stand up for that to function, and give Tua time to find Hill, plus other free agent signings WR Cedrick Wilson, RB Chase Edmonds, RB Raheem Mostert, and RB Sony Michel… Wait… 3 RBs!?! And Myles Gaskin?! Yep… just go with it.

McDaniel may be playing Pokemon (“gotta catch ‘em all”) with Running Backs, but the fans in Miami are buzzing with excitement and anticipation following the Hill trade and this busy free agency spree.

Day Two

Credit: Josh Houtz/Youtube

Having been able to relax on night 1, the Dolphins actually had to wait until pick 102 (Round 3) to make their first selection. With that pick, GM Chris Grier selected Channing Tindall, LB from Georgia. A part of the fearsome national championship winning defense, Tindall has a lot of room for development but shows instincts that will excite Dolphins fans with his speed to the tackle of particular note.

Adding Tindall to a linebacker room highlighted by Jerome Baker, Andrew Van Ginkel, & Jaelan Phillips, plus new signee Melvin Ingram III, gives the already stout Dolphins defense another tool with which to play. Whatever you think of Tagovailoa, with the amount of skill on the other side of the ball, it’s unlikely he will often find himself in a big hole he has to drag the team out of. The ‘Fins defense will be strong again in 2022.

Day Three

Day 3 was by far the busiest for the Dolphins, with 3 selections made. Firstly, in Round 4, Erik Ezukanma, WR from Texas Tech became the latest offensive weapon to join South Beach’s motley crew. Adding more WR depth was perhaps a bit of a surprise, considering the riches already accumulated in that room, but Ezukanma has talents – particularly his catch radius and ability to run after the catch – that no doubt caught Mika McDaniel’s eye. This pick was probably necessitated following the departure of Devante Parker to the Patriots.

“No tape surprised me more than Erik Ezukanma’s in this receiver class. A big-bodied receiver with excellent length and leap, he is the epitome of a possession receiver in today’s NFL. An awful lot of work has gone into his release off the line, with nimble footwork allowing him clean access into his routes, at which point he goes into attack mode, lining up the DB favourably before making his move. The aggression remains right through the route until he snatches your soul at the catch point. His role in Lubbock was limited, and his development on more in-breaking routes across the short and intermediate field will determine the ceiling of Ezukanma at the next level. If he can demonstrate enough agility to uncover in congested areas there’s very little not to like about his game. I smell a day three sleeper…”
Mock Draft
Simon Carroll
Head Of NFL Draft Content

Next, Cameron Goode, LB from Cal-Berkeley. Goode provides some solid potential as an edge rusher, and will likely be a contributor on special teams. Lastly, the Dolphins took Skylar Thompson, QB from Kansas State. As late round QB flyer’s go, this one is both fair and fun. Thompson was an exciting college talent and could develop into something for the long term, though his chances to make the 53 man roster this time round look slim at time of writing.

One To Watch: This Tyreek Hill Kid

Alright, fine, yes, the joke of “the Dolphins drafted Tyreek Hill with their 1st round pick” has been played out, but it’s also true and exciting for Dolphins fans. For the first time since… Ricky Williams(?!) Miami have an ACTUAL elite weapon and a superstar on their team. Jaylen Waddle is on the fast track to joining him in that stratosphere, but Hill is already there and some. Erik Ezukanma is perhaps the most likely rookie to “breakout” this season, but all eyes will understandably be on Hill. If he and Tagovailoa can conjure up some semblance of the chemistry Hill shared with Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City then this Miami Offense will really be a sight to see.

For comparison, and a little amusement, this is how Tyreek tested athletically when he was drafted back in 2016:

UDFA Tracker

Blais AndriesIOLMinnesota
Kellen DieschIOLArizona State
Kader KohouCBTexas A&M Commerce
Verone McKinleyCBOregon
Tommy HeatherlyPFIU
ZaQuandre WhiteRBSouth Carolina
Ty ClaryIOLArkansas
Elijah HamiltonCBLA Tech
Braylon SandersWROle Miss
Jordan WilliamsIDLVirginia Tech
DeAndre JohnsonEDGETennessee
Tanner ConnerWRIdaho State
Ben StilleIDLNebraska
Owen CarneyEDGEIllinois

My ACTUAL one to watch? UDFA Kader Kohou is my personal favourite story of the Dolphins’ draft class, with the Texas A&M Commerce (Division II) product having immigrated to the US from Cote d’Ivoire before he turned 10. As a cornerback, he’s got an uphill battle to join a stacked room, but what better group of guys in the league to learn from? It’s a very short list, if anyone. I’ve got everything crossed he finds a way to make the 53 man roster.

Credit: Lion Athletics

Conclusion

The Dolphins draft weekend may have been the secondary part of their offseason but I think they added some nice pieces, especially considering how little draft capital they had. Miami now find themselves in a particularly unenviable position of finally being ready to compete, at a time of unparalleled strength in the AFC, where really only 3 teams (the Jets, the Jaguars, & the Texans) feel like they can be discounted from the Playoff Race. 13 teams for 7 spots… and yet anything less than a playoff berth will be viewed as a distinct failure, even in Head Coach Mike McDaniel’s debut season in charge.

I was surprised they didn’t seek to add any offensive line help, even after the acquisition of Armstead. I figured at least one pick would be spent on a big guy up front to help protect Tua and create the running lanes that McDaniel wants his stable of running backs to have. You’d assume that Tindall could have a real impact on this season because the Linebacker core has room for someone to make an impact, but Ezukanma adds something different and appears to be a “hand in glove” fit for McDaniel’s system, so maybe it’ll be his name we’re speaking about as the steal of this draft. But with their stacked Secondary, and offense now ready to blossom, the Dolphins are primed to make some waves for the first time in a long time.

The Bills are clearly still the pick of the AFC East litter, but the Fins are coming. For sure, I see Miami as the clear cut favourites to finish ahead of the Patriots and sneak into a wildcard playoff spot come January.

CALLUM SQUIRES

NFL ANALYST

CALLUM IS FROM LONDON, BUT PLAYED COLLEGE SOCCER AT TRINITY UNIVERSITY IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, WHERE HE LEARNED NEVER TO CHEER FOR THE COWBOYS. CALLUM IS A LONG-SUFFERING DOLPHINS FAN WHO BELIEVES THE TUA HYPE. NOW BACK STATESIDE, HIT HIM UP ON TWITTER @CALLUMJDSQUIRES!

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